Collapsible container



Nov. 24, 1964 J. J. 'ESTY COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Filed April 17, 1961 FIG 3 INVENTOR. JOSEPH J. ESTY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,158,188 COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Joseph J. Esty, 1812 Tustin St., San Diego 6, Calif. Filed Apr. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 103,332 4 Claims. (Cl. 150-48) The present invention relates to collapsible containers, such as collapsible buckets formed of flexible material.

The container of the present invention comprises a bottom wall, a top which is formed preferably of two sheets of material having an opening therethrough, which top is adapted to be inflated with gas, such as air. The container also includes a flexible side wall having substantially the same circumferential length throughout the entire height thereof. The circumferential lengths of the bottom wall and the top, when the top is deflated, are substantialy the same as the circumferential length of the side wall. When, however, the top is inflated, the circumferential length of the top is shortened, and therefore, when the top is inflated the periphery thereof lies inwardly of the periphery of the bottom wall.

The advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the container in its non-collapsed position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container shown in FIG. 1, part of the cover being broken away to show part of the opening in the top.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the sheet from which the side wall of the container is formed.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2, but on a larger scale.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the container in its collapsed position.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, the container is shown at 20 in the form of a bucket, such as a live bait bucket. It comprises generally a bottom wall 22, a side wall 24, a top 26 having an opening 28 therethrough; this opening is closed by a cover 30; the bucket is provided with a flexible carrying strap 32.

More specifically, the bottom wall 22 may be formed of either a stiff sheet of suitable material such as plastic but is preferably formed of thin flexible plastic. The side wall 24 and the top are also formed of a thin flexible plastic. As is seen more clearly from FIG. 3, the side wall 24 comprises a single sheet of flexible material having the same height throughout the entire length thereof. The ends 34 and 36 are joined with one another in any suitable manner as by welding to form an endless side wall.

The bottom edge 38 of this side wall 24 is suitably joined to the peripheral edge 40 of the bottom wall 22, preferably by welding.

The top 26 is formed of two normally flat sheets of thin flexible plastic material 42 and 44. The periphery edges of these sheets are suitably joined with one another as at 46 and preferably by welding. These sheets are ring shaped to form the opening 28. The entire edges of these sheets are suitably joined with one another as at 48 and preferably by welding.

The space 50 between these sheets may be inflated through an air valve 76, and, when the container is of the circular type, the top 26 is substantially in the shape of a doughnut. When the top is inflated, as is more clearly shown in FIG. 4, the circumferential length of the top is decreased inherently, and obviously, when the top is inflated, the upper edge of the side wall 24 will be pulled inwardly since the periphery of the lower sheet 44 is joined, as by welding, to the upper edge 52 of the side Wall 24. The upper edge of the side wall 24 will be wrinkled somewhat, the wrinkles being shown at 56.

It will be understood that all welded joins will form hermetical seals.

The sheets 42 and 44 are formed with four integrally formed, outwardly extending tabs 58, 60, 62 and 64. The flexible strap 32 has its ends secured to tabs 58 and 60 as by rivets. The cover 30 is provided with integral straps 72 and 74. Strap 72 is connected to the tab 62 by a rivet 7t) and the strap 74 is connected to the tab 64 by a resilient type button fastener 76.

Preferably the bucket or container is made generally cylindrical. When used as a live bait bucket, it is preferably provided with a series of holes 78 in the upper part of the side wall 24 for the ingress and egress of water, whereby fresh water is continuously supplied to the interior of the bucket. When the top is inflated, the bucket floats on Water.

The wrinkles extend from the extreme top of theside wall and gradually diminish near the bottom. Obviously, they being at substantilly right angles to the direction of collapsibility, the side wall resists such collapsing. Thus the material of the side wall may be relatively thin with respect to the side wall not having vertically extending wrinkles. The material is of such thickness, and composition that, with the aid of the resistance to collapsing offered by the wrinkles, the side wall is inherently stable, that is, it supports the top with only slight lowering of the top even when the bucket is empty.

By virtue of the present invention, the side wall can be formed from a true rectangular piece of material. The top and bottom are in strict parallel relationship, yet there has been provided an upwardly inwardly tapering bucket.

It will be observed from FIGS. 1, and 2 that when the top 26 is inflated, the periphery thereof lies inwardly of the periphery of the bottom wall, that is, a bucket is tapered inwardly, upwardly. Such tapering material-1y enhances the stability of the flexible bucket when the bucket contains, for example water and when it is resting directly on the bottom wall 22 thereof. In fact, the tapered bucket is substantially inherently stable when filled with water and while resting on the bottom thereof.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described constituted preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adopted falling within the scope of the claims that follow.

I claim:

1. An upwardly-inwardly tapering, inherently stable and collapsible container comprising in combination, a bottom wall; a circumferentially endless side wall of flexible material; a closed hollow top of flexible material having an opening extending therethrough and joined with the upper edge of the side wall; and a valve in the top for the ingress of air, said hollow top being so shaped that the inflation thereof causes a reduction in the width of the top and the formation of substantially vertical wrinkles in said side Wall, the material of the side wall having substantially the same circumferential length throughout the entire height thereof when the top is deflated, said top and side wall having substantially the same circumferential length when the top is deflated.

2. A collapsible container as defined in claim 1, in which the bottom Wall and top are substantially circular.

3. A collapsible container as defined in claim 1, in which the opening in the top is substantially centrally disposed.

4. A collapsible container as defined in claim 1, in which the opening in the top is substantially centrally disposed and in which the bottom wall and top are substantially circular.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 988,897 Raymond Apr. 4, 1911 1,065,917 Butler July 1, 1913 2,580,879 Belokin Jan. 1, 1952 2,603,028 Roberts July 15, 1952 2,739,410 Buduick Mar. 27, 1956 2,754,869 Bartels July 17, 1956 2,854,049 Wyllie Sept. 30, 1958 

1. AN UPWARDLY-INWARDLY TAPERING, INHERENTLY STABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A BOTTOM WALL; A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ENDLESS SIDE WALL OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL; A CLOSED HOLLOW TOP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND JOINED WITH THE UPPER EDGE OF THE SIDE WALL; AND A VALVE IN THE TOP FOR THE INGRESS OF AIR, SAID HOLLOW TOP BEING SO SHAPED THAT THE INFLATION THEREOF CAUSES A REDUCTION IN THE WIDTH OF THE TOP AND THE FORMATION OF SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL WRINKLES IN SAID SIDE WALL, THE MATERIAL OF THE SIDE WALL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CIRCUMFERENTIAL LENGTH 